Advocates in those two counties have welcomed like-minded voices from the adjacent city of Alexandria, Va., including representatives of Alexandrians Delivering Smart Growth Around Metro Stations (ADAM), to form a new group, the Northern Virginia Streetcar Coalition.

The new group reportedly held itsfirst formal meeting Wednesday in Alexandria, with Arlington County Commissioner Chris Zimmerman scheduled to address the gathering. The coalition has created a page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Virginia-Streetcar-Coalition, which includes its mission statement: “[To] investigate feasibility of extending Columbia Pike Streetcar line into Crystal City/Potomac Yards on the east, and into Alexandria on the west.”

Alexandria is an “independent city” with no county affiliation, a status held by other cities in Virginia.